Motor gear drive release

ABSTRACT

Mechanically or electromechanically positioning a deadbolt used to lock or unlock a door is disclosed. An electromechanical lock can include a deadbolt to be positioned to lock or unlock a door. The deadbolt can be mechanically positioned based on the rotation of a paddle of the electromechanical lock or electromechanically positioned via a motor being turned on to position the deadbolt. A disengagement mechanism can disengage an engagement cog from a worm gear hub of a gear train of the motor upon the mechanical positioning, but remain engaged upon the electromechanical positioning.

CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

This application is a continuation application of International PatentApplication No. PCT/US2017/052345, entitled “MOTOR GEAR DRIVE RELEASE,”and filed on Sep. 19, 2017, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/396,794, entitled “METHOD, SYSTEM ANDAPPARATUS FOR A FULLY FUNCTIONAL MODERN DAY SMART LOCK,” and filed onSep. 19, 2016, both of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to an electromechanical lock, and in particularreleasing a gear drive for a motor when manually operating anelectromechanical lock.

BACKGROUND

Door locks can include a deadbolt as a locking mechanism. For example,the door lock can include a lock cylinder with a key slot on one side ofthe cylinder. The other side of the cylinder can include a paddle, or atwist knob. The rotation of the cylinder using the key (inserted intothe key slot and rotated) or the paddle (moved or rotated to anotherposition) can result in the deadbolt of the lock to retract (e.g., tounlock the door) or extend (e.g., to lock the door). However, somehomeowners find it cumbersome to be limited to locking or unlocking thedoor lock of a door using the key or the paddle. Additionally, thehomeowner might not know whether the door is fully locked, or the stateof the door lock when away from the home.

SUMMARY

Some of the subject matter described herein includes anelectromechanical smart lock configured for wireless communication witha smartphone to lock and unlock a door of a home, the electromechanicalsmart lock installed within the door. The electromechanical smart lockincludes: a deadbolt configured to be positioned to lock or unlock thedoor; a paddle configured to rotate to position the deadbolt in amechanical mode of operation for the electromechanical smart lock; amotor configured to position the deadbolt in an electromechanical modeof operation for the electromechanical smart lock, the motor turned onto position the deadbolt upon an instruction provided by the smartphone;and a disengagement mechanism having an engagement cog and a worm gearhub, the worm gear hub being part of a gear train of the motor, and thedisengagement mechanism configured to disengage the engagement cog fromthe worm gear hub upon rotation of the paddle to position the deadboltby retracting engagement teeth of the engagement cog away from the wormgear hub, and the disengagement mechanism configured to maintainengagement of the engagement cog with the worm gear hub upon use of themotor to position the deadbolt.

In some implementations, a first amount of force is applied to theengagement cog in the mechanical mode of operation, and a second amountof force is applied to the engagement cog in the electromechanical modeof operation, the first amount of force being more than the secondamount of force.

Some of the subject matter described herein also includes an apparatuscomprising: a deadbolt configured to be positioned to lock or unlock adoor; and a disengagement mechanism having an engagement cog and a geartrain of a motor, the disengagement mechanism configured to mechanicallyposition the deadbolt by disengaging the engagement cog from the geartrain of the motor, and configured to electromechanically position thedeadbolt by engaging the engagement cog with the gear train of themotor.

In some implementations, the apparatus includes a paddle configured torotate mechanically to position the deadbolt by transferring force fromthe rotation of the paddle to the engagement cog such that it retractsaway from the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, the gear train of the motor is not rotated asthe engagement cog rotates as the deadbolt is positioned upon therotation of the paddle.

In some implementations, the apparatus includes a key slot configured torotate to mechanically position the deadbolt by transferring force fromthe rotation of the key slot to the engagement cog such that it retractsaway from the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, the gear train of the motor is not rotated asthe engagement cog rotates as the deadbolt is positioned upon rotationof the key slot.

In some implementations, mechanically positioning the deadboltcorresponds to a first amount of force applied to the engagement cog,electromechanically positioning the deadbolt corresponds to a secondamount of force applied to the engagement cog, the first amount of forcebeing more than the second amount of force.

In some implementations, the first amount of force results in theengagement cog to retract away from the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, the second amount of force results in theengagement cog to not retract away from the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, the gear train of the motor includes a geartrain hub having engagement teeth, the engagement cog having engagementteeth, wherein the engagement teeth of the engagement cog and theengagement teeth of the gear train hub are arranged to be interlockedtogether to engage the engagement cog with the gear train of the motor.

Some of the subject matter described herein also includes an apparatuscomprising: a deadbolt configured to be positioned to lock or unlock adoor; and a disengagement mechanism having an engagement cog and a geartrain of a motor, the disengagement mechanism configured to receive afirst amount of force to apply to the engagement cog to mechanicallyposition the deadbolt, and configured to receive a second amount offorce to apply to the engagement cog to electromechanically position thedeadbolt, the first amount of force being higher than the second amountof force.

In some implementations, mechanically positioning the deadbolt includesdisengaging the engagement cog from the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, disengaging the engagement cog from the geartrain includes retracting the engagement cog from the gear train.

In some implementations, the engagement cog includes engagement teeth,the gear train includes engagement teeth, and retracting the engagementcog from the gear train includes adjusting the position of theengagement cog such that the engagement teeth of the engagement cog arenot interlocked with the engagement teeth of the gear train.

In some implementations, the gear train includes a worm gear hub, andthe engagement cog retracts away from the worm gear hub to disengage theengagement cog from the gear train.

In some implementations, electromechanically positioning the deadboltincludes engaging the engagement cog with the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, the apparatus includes a paddle configured torotate mechanically to position the deadbolt by transferring force fromthe rotation of the paddle to the engagement cog such that it retractsaway from the gear train of the motor.

In some implementations, the gear train of the motor is not rotated asthe engagement cog rotates as the deadbolt is positioned upon therotation of the paddle.

In some implementations, the apparatus includes a key slot configured torotate mechanically to position the deadbolt by transferring force fromthe rotation of the paddle to the engagement cog such that it retractsaway from the gear train of the motor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a disengagement mechanism of anelectromechanical lock.

FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate an example of an assembly of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate an example of an operation of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a block diagram for operating adisengagement mechanism of an electromechanical lock.

FIGS. 5A-D illustrate another example of an operation of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an electromechanical lock.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes devices and techniques for anelectromechanical lock. In one example, the electromechanical lock canbe either mechanically or electromechanically operated to retract orextend a deadbolt to unlock or lock a door, respectively. Mechanicallyretracting or extending the deadbolt can include a homeowner manuallyrotating a paddle or a key that is inserted into a key slot of theelectromechanical lock. Rotation of the paddle or key can cause anactuation tail to rotate, causing a set of mechanical cogs, cams, andother components to rotate. This results in the deadbolt to retract orextend depending upon on the direction of the rotation (e.g., clockwiseto extend the deadbolt and counter-clockwise to retract the deadbolt).Electromechanically retracting or extending the deadbolt can include thehomeowner using a smartphone to instruct the electromechanical lock tooperate a motor used to retract or extend the deadbolt. This can resultin a motor to turn on to cause the components to rotate and position thedeadbolt appropriately.

As disclosed herein, a disengagement mechanism can de-couple the motorfrom the components that rotate by decoupling its gear train, or geardrive, from the components when the electromechanically lock is manuallyoperated. Thus, when the homeowner manually, or mechanically, operatesthe electromechanical lock using the paddle or the key, the motor wouldnot be forward driven (e.g., to extend the deadbolt) or backward driven(e.g., to retract the deadbolt). This can be useful because some typesof gear drives cannot be backward driven. Moreover, wear and tear of themotor and the gear train can be reduced. Additionally, there is also animproved feel and user experience due to not having to back drive adrive train of the motor.

When the electromechanical lock is electromechanically operated (e.g.,the motor is turned on to position the deadbolt), the disengagementmechanism can couple the gear train of the motor with the components.Thus, the motor can cause the rotation of the components to extend orretract the deadbolt. As a result, the electromechanical lock canoperate in a mechanical mode or electromechanical mode by decoupling orcoupling the gear train of the motor from the components that rotate toposition the deadbolt, respectively. By contrast, in some other systems,the motor should be used in the mechanical operation, or manual mode, toreposition the drive train or gear train in a way to avoid back drivingthe motor. This results in additional power requirements and creates adependency on the motor to operate even during manual operation to avoidback driving.

In more detail, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock. In FIG. 1, electromechanicallock 105 includes housing 110 enclosing throw arm 115, tail insert 120,release cam 125, engagement cog 130, throw arm mount 135, and worm gearhub 140. As discussed later, these components within housing 110 canform a disengagement mechanism that can couple a gear train used by amotor to electromechanically lock or unlock a door by extending orretracting a deadbolt of electromechanical lock 105, respectively. Bycontrast, the disengagement mechanism can decouple the gear train usedby the motor to mechanically lock or unlock the door, for example, viathe use of a paddle or key manually operated by a homeowner. This can bedone because different amounts of force are applied between themechanical or electromechanical modes of operation of electromechanicallock 105. For example, the mechanical mode of operation can apply moreforce such that an engagement cog (as discussed later) can disengage byretracting its engagement teeth away from the gear train of the motor.

FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate an example of an assembly of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock. The arrangement of thecomponents of the disengagement mechanism allow for theelectromechanical or mechanical operation of electromechanical lock 105.In FIG. 2A, the components of the disengagement mechanism can beenclosed within housing 110 (e.g., depicting one half of the housing).In FIG. 2A, release cam 125 can be a rotating mechanical linkage thatrotates as tail insert 120 rotates due to the manual operation of thepaddle or key, or due to the electromechanical operation using a motor,as previously discussed. In some implementations, the motor might notrotate release cam 125 with as much force as if a homeowner is manuallyusing the paddle or the key. Thus, if the homeowner operateselectromechanical lock 105 manually, this might cause enough force totransfer to release cam 125 such that release cam 125 rotates andpositions to a new position, also causing engagement cog 130 (e.g. forceis also transferred upon engagement cog 130) to reposition such that itsengagement teeth are no longer meshed or coupled with the pocketsbetween the engagement teeth of worm gear hub 140 (e.g., part of thegear train which can include one or more gears that can be driven by themotor). The amount of force applied to engagement cog 130 by therotation of release cam 125 can be large enough such that the engagementteeth “push out” of the pockets of worm gear hub 140. This results in amotor coupled to worm gear hub 140 to be effectively decoupled from theremaining components and, therefore, electromechanical lock 105 canoperate in a mechanical mode without disturbing the motor due to wormgear hub 140 not rotating.

However, if the motor is activated or turned on and causes the rotationof the components by rotating worm gear hub 140 that is part of its geartrain, there might not be enough force for release cam 125 to apply toengagement cog 130 such that have the engagement teeth of engagement cog130 would be pushed out from the pockets and retracted away from theengagement teeth or pockets of worm gear hub 140. This results in themotor being coupled with the components and, therefore,electromechanical lock 105 can operate in an electromechanical moderather than a mechanical mode. This is explained further with respect toFIGS. 3A-D.

In FIG. 2A, release cam 125 is positioned upon tail insert 120 such thatit rotates when tail insert 120 rotates, which is when the paddle, key,or motor cause its rotation. In FIG. 2B, engagement cog 130 ispositioned upon release cam 125. Thus, release cam 125 can rotate andcause engagement cog 130 to also rotate and reposition, for example,retract or extend its engagement teeth away from or towards theengagement teeth of worm gear hub 140, respectively, and as discussedlater herein. In FIG. 2C, throw arm mount 135 can be positioned uponengagement cog 130. In FIG. 2D, worm gear hub 140 can be positioned uponthrow arm mount 135. In FIG. 2E, throw arm 115 can be coupled with throwarm mount 135, resulting in an assembly of the components of thedisengagement mechanism.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate an example of an operation of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock. In FIG. 3A, the disengagementmechanism can be in an engaged state in which the engagement teeth ofengagement cog 130 are meshed or arranged to interlock with theengagement teeth of gear hub 140. For example, in FIG. 3A, engagementtooth 305 of engagement cog 130 is positioned within pocket 310 of wormgear hub 140. Pocket 310 in FIG. 3A is formed or defined by the space inbetween consecutive engagement teeth of worm gear hub 140 such asengagement teeth 315a and 315b. That is, engagement tooth 305 is inbetween parts of worm gear hub 140 such that if worm gear hub 140rotates (e.g., when operated by a motor), then engagement cog 130 wouldalso rotate. This represents the scenario when electromechanical lock105 should operate in an electromechanical mode via the motor, forexample, when the homeowner uses a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, orother electronic device to instruct electromechanical lock 105 to lockor unlock a door that houses electromechanical lock 105. The rotation ofthe components can cause the deadbolt of electromechanical lock 105 toextend or retract to lock or unlock the door, respectively.

Thus, the motor can provide enough force to rotate worm gear hub 140.Because the engagement teeth of engagement cog 130 are positioned suchthat they are engaged with worm gear hub 140 (e.g., engagement tooth 305is positioned within pocket 310), the rotation of worm gear hub 140causes the rotation of engagement cog 130 because the engagement teethwould experience force while they are within the pockets. This causes acorresponding rotation of a throw arm mount. Because throw arm mount iscoupled with throw arm 115, throw arm 115 also rotates, causing thepaddle of electromechanical lock 105 to rotate and the deadbolt ofelectromechanical lock 105 to extend to lock the door or retract tounlock the door. The amount of force that the motor generates is notenough to allow for engagement cog 130 to disengage from worm gear hub140.

However, if the homeowner manually operates electromechanical lock byrotating the paddle or the key inserted into the key slot, then thedisengagement mechanism can disengage by retracting the engagement teeth(e.g., engagement tooth 305) away from worm gear hub 140 (e.g., outsideof pocket 310). This results in worm gear hub 140 not rotating whileother components are rotating because the engagement teeth are not in aposition to cause its rotation and the motor is not turned on.

For example, in FIG. 3B, if the user rotates the paddle ofelectromechanical lock 105, then throw arm 115 would be rotated. Theamount of force from the human hand can be higher than the amount offorce provided by the motor. This results in a rotation of release cam125 (due to release cam 125 being positioned upon tail insert 120 whichis placed upon throw arm 115 that rotates with the rotation of thepaddle or key) with enough force such that engagement cog 130 pushestowards throw arm 115 and away from worm gear hub 140 such that theengagement teeth of engagement cog 130 are no longer in position tocause the rotation of worm gear hub 140. As a result, the deadbolt canbe positioned without worm gear hub 140 having to rotate. Accordingly,more force is applied to engagement cog 130 during the manual operation,or mechanical mode, than during the electromechanical mode (e.g., whenthe motor is operating) such that engagement cog 130 can dislodge awayfrom worm gear hub 140.

FIG. 3C depicts the position of engagement cog 130 within the first tendegrees of rotation, for example, of the paddle or key ofelectromechanical lock 105. As depicted in FIG. 3C, release cam 125 canrotate relative to the other components. This movement can cause thebeginning of engagement teeth of engagement cog 130 to be pushed out oftheir corresponding pockets of worm gear hub 140, which forms part ofthe gear train of the motor. FIG. 3D depicts further movement, forexample, beyond the first ten degrees of rotation. As depicted, in FIG.3D, the engagement teeth of engagement cog 130 are further away fromworm gear hub 140, resulting in worm gear hub 140 being disengaged fromthe other components and, therefore, not rotating when engagement cog130 or other components rotate as the deadbolt is extended or retracted.Because worm gear hub 140 is stationary while the other componentsrotate, this causes the motor to not be driven when electromechanicallock 105 is to be manually, or mechanically, operated.

FIGS. 5A-D illustrate another example of an operation of a disengagementmechanism of an electromechanical lock. FIG. 5A is another depiction ofFIG. 3A. Likewise, FIG. 5B is another depiction of FIG. 3B, FIG. 5C isanother depiction of FIG. 3C, and FIG. 5D is another depiction of FIG.3D.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a block diagram for operating adisengagement mechanism of an electromechanical lock. In FIG. 4, ahomeowner can rotate a paddle or key of the electromechanical lock(405). This can result in the operation of the electromechanical lock inthe mechanical mode. The force generated and applied via the rotation ofthe paddle or key can be enough to decouple the gear train of the motor(410). Thus, the deadbolt can be positioned (415). This can be performedwithout forward driving or backward driving the motor because worm gearhub 140 is effectively decoupled from engagement cog 130 such that wormgear hub 140 does not rotate if engagement cog 130 rotates. Aspreviously discussed, this can be the result of the engagement teeth ofengagement cog 130 retracting away from worm gear hub 140.

Additionally, the motor of the electromechanical lock can be activated(420). For example, the electromechanical lock can receive aninstruction from a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, laptop computer,smart glasses, or other electronic device to lock or unlock the door.This can cause the motor to generate enough force to rotate its geartrain (425). For example, worm gear hub 140 can rotate and generateenough force to rotate engagement cog 130. However, the amount of forcecan be less than the amount of force applied to engagement cog 130 whenthe paddle or key is rotated and, therefore, the engagement teeth ofengagement cog 130 can still be engaged with worm gear hub 140. Thedeadbolt can then be positioned (430). As a result, theelectromechanical lock can also be positioned via the motor in anelectromechanical mode.

As previously discussed, the techniques disclosed herein can prevent amotor being forward driven or backward driven when it is not turned on(e.g., when the electromechanical lock should operate in mechanical modeas the user turns the paddle or uses the key). Additionally, this canreduce wear and tear on the gears of the gear train and the motor,increasing the life span of the electromechanical lock. The techniquesdescribed herein can also provide a better user experience because themotor would not be forward driven or backward driven when theelectromechanical lock is to be mechanically operated, reducingundesirable noises that would otherwise occur when the motor is forwarddriven or backward driven. Moreover, the arrangement of gears, cogs,etc. of the disengagement mechanism can be a relatively small size,ensuring that the electromechanical smart lock can fit within the spaceallotted for a door lock within the door. Thus, the electromechanicallock described herein and its corresponding parts including thedisengagement mechanism can also be backwards compatible with existingdoor lock housings, for example, the disengagement mechanism describedherein can be placed within housing 110 of an existing lock. Forexample, the locking mechanism (including the deadbolt) of a lock can beremoved and replaced with the electromechanical lock and the housing 110of the replaced lock can still be used.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an electromechanical lock. In FIG. 6,electromechanical lock 105 includes a processor 705, memory 710, antenna715, and lock components 720 (e.g., the components used to implementretracting and extending the deadbolt such as those described in FIGS.1-6). In some implementations, electromechanical lock 105 can alsoinclude touchscreen displays, speakers, microphones, as well as othertypes of hardware such as non-volatile memory, an interface device,camera, radios, etc. to lock components 720 providing the techniques andsystems disclosed herein. For example, lock components 720 can implementa variety of modules, units, components, logic, etc. implemented viacircuitry and other hardware and software to provide the functionalitiesdescribed herein along with processor 705. Various common components(e.g., cache memory) are omitted for illustrative simplicity. Theelectromechanical lock in FIG. 6 is intended to illustrate a hardwaredevice on which any of the components described in the example of FIGS.1-5 (and any other components described in this specification) can beimplemented. The components of the electromechanical lock can be coupledtogether via a bus or through some other known or convenient device.

The processor 705 may be, for example, a microprocessor circuit such asan Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola power PC microprocessor. Oneof skill in the relevant art will recognize that the terms“machine-readable (storage) medium” or “computer-readable (storage)medium” include any type of device that is accessible by the processor.Processor 705 can also be circuitry such as an application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), structured ASICs, etc.

The memory is coupled to the processor by, for example, a bus. Thememory can include, by way of example but not limitation, random accessmemory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM). Thememory can be local, remote, or distributed.

The bus also couples the processor to the non-volatile memory and driveunit. The non-volatile memory is often a magnetic floppy or hard disk; amagnetic-optical disk; an optical disk; a read-only memory (ROM) such asa CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM; a magnetic or optical card; or another formof storage for large amounts of data. Some of this data is oftenwritten, by a direct memory access process, into memory during theexecution of software in the computer. The non-volatile storage can belocal, remote or distributed. The non-volatile memory is optionalbecause systems can be created with all applicable data available inmemory. A typical computer system will usually include at least aprocessor, memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to theprocessor.

The software can be stored in the non-volatile memory and/or the driveunit. Indeed, storing an entire large program in memory may not even bepossible. Nevertheless, it should be understood that for software torun, it may be necessary to move the software to a computer-readablelocation appropriate for processing, and, for illustrative purposes,that location is referred to as memory in this application. Even whensoftware is moved to memory for execution, the processor will typicallymake use of hardware registers to store values associated with thesoftware and make use of a local cache that, ideally, serves toaccelerate execution. As used herein, a software program is can bestored at any known or convenient location (from non-volatile storage tohardware registers).

The bus also couples the processor to the network interface device. Theinterface can include one or more of a modem or network interface. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that a modem or network interface canbe considered to be part of the computer system. The interface caninclude an analog modem, an ISDN modem, a cable modem, a token ringinterface, a satellite transmission interface (e.g., “direct PC”), orother interface for coupling a computer system to other computersystems. The interface can include one or more input and/or outputdevices. The input and/or output devices can include, by way of examplebut not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse or other pointing device, diskdrives, printers, a scanner, and other input and/or output devices,including a display device. The display device can include, by way ofexample but not limitation, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), or some other applicable known or convenient displaydevice.

In operation, the assistant device can be controlled by operating systemsoftware that includes a file management system, such as a diskoperating system. The file management system is typically stored in thenon-volatile memory and/or drive unit and causes the processor toexecute the various acts required by the operating system to input andoutput data, and to store data in the memory, including storing files onthe non-volatile memory and/or drive unit.

Some items of the detailed description may be presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electronic or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and/or otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussion, those skilled in the art will appreciate that throughout thedescription, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or“computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or“generating” or the like refer to the action and processes of a computersystem or similar electronic computing device that manipulates andtransforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities withinthe computer system's registers and memories into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computer system's memoriesor registers or other such information storage, transmission, or displaydevices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatuses to perform the methods of some embodiments. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will be apparent from thedescription below. In addition, the techniques are not described withreference to any particular programming language, and variousembodiments may thus be implemented using a variety of programminglanguages.

In further embodiments, the assistant device operates as a standalonedevice or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the assistant device may operate in the capacityof a server or of a client machine in a client-server networkenvironment or may operate as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

In some embodiments, the assistant devices include a machine-readablemedium. While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storagemedium is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, theterm “machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing,encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine, and which causes the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies or modules of the presently disclosed technique andinnovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure may be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module, or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer that, when read andexecuted by one or more processing units or processors in a computer,cause the computer to perform operations to execute elements involvingvarious aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally, regardless of the particular type ofmachine- or computer-readable media used to actually effect thedistribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include, but are not limitedto, recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldisks (e.g., Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROMS), Digital VersatileDiscs, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

In some circumstances, operation of a memory device, such as a change instate from a binary one to a binary zero or vice-versa, for example, maycomprise a transformation, such as a physical transformation. Withparticular types of memory devices, such a physical transformation maycomprise a physical transformation of an article to a different state orthing. For example, but without limitation, for some types of memorydevices, a change in state may involve an accumulation and storage ofcharge or a release of stored charge. Likewise, in other memory devices,a change of state may comprise a physical change or transformation inmagnetic orientation or a physical change or transformation in molecularstructure, such as from crystalline to amorphous or vice-versa. Theforegoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list in which a change instate for a binary one to a binary zero or vice-versa in a memory devicemay comprise a transformation, such as a physical transformation.Rather, the foregoing is intended as illustrative examples.

A storage medium may typically be non-transitory or comprise anon-transitory device. In this context, a non-transitory storage mediummay include a device that is tangible, meaning that the device has aconcrete physical form, although the device may change its physicalstate. Thus, for example, non-transitory refers to a device remainingtangible despite this change in state.

The foregoing description of various embodiments of the claimed subjectmatter has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claimedsubject matter to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Embodiments werechosen and described in order to best describe certain principles andpractical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the relevantart to understand the subject matter, the various embodiments and thevarious modifications that are suited to the particular usescontemplated.

While embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machine-or computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Although the above Detailed Description describes certain embodimentsand the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appearsin text, the embodiments can be practiced in many ways. Details of thesystems and methods may vary considerably in their implementationdetails while still being encompassed by the specification. As notedabove, particular terminology used when describing certain features oraspects of various embodiments should not be taken to imply that theterminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specificcharacteristics, features, or aspects of the disclosed technique withwhich that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in thefollowing claims should not be construed to limit the disclosure to thespecific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless those termsare explicitly defined herein. Accordingly, the actual scope of thetechnique encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments but also allequivalent ways of practicing or implementing the embodiments under theclaims.

The language used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and it may not have beenselected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Itis therefore intended that the scope of the technique be limited not bythis Detailed Description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of variousembodiments is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of thescope of the embodiments, which is set forth in the following claims.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thescope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited exceptas by the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. An electromechanical smart lock configured for wirelesscommunication with a smartphone to lock and unlock a door of a home, theelectromechanical smart lock installed within the door, comprising: adeadbolt configured to be positioned to lock or unlock the door; apaddle configured to rotate to position the deadbolt in a mechanicalmode of operation for the electromechanical smart lock; a motorconfigured to position the deadbolt in an electromechanical mode ofoperation for the electromechanical smart lock, the motor turned on toposition the deadbolt upon an instruction provided by the smartphone;and a disengagement gear assembly having an engagement cog, a worm gearhub and a release cam, the worm gear hub being part of a gear train ofthe motor, the disengagement gear assembly configured to disengage theengagement cog from the worm gear hub upon rotation of the paddle toposition the deadbolt by retracting engagement teeth of the engagementcog away from the worm gear hub, the disengagement gear assemblyconfigured to maintain engagement of the engagement cog with the wormgear hub upon use of the motor to position the deadbolt, wherein therelease cam is coupled with the engagement cog and a rotation of therelease cam causes the engagement cog to rotate for engaging ordisengaging with the worm gear hub, wherein maintaining engagement ofthe engagement cog with the worm gear hub includes the engagement teethof the engagement cog disposed in pockets included between engagementteeth of the worm gear hub.
 2. The electromechanical smart lock of claim1, wherein a first amount of force is applied to the engagement cog inthe mechanical mode of operation, and a second amount of force isapplied to the engagement cog in the electromechanical mode ofoperation, the first amount of force being more than the second amountof force.
 3. An apparatus comprising: a deadbolt configured to bepositioned to lock or unlock a door; and a disengagement gear assemblyhaving an engagement cog, a release cam and a gear train of a motor, thedisengagement gear assembly configured to mechanically position thedeadbolt by disengaging the engagement cog from the gear train of themotor by decoupling teeth of the engagement cog from teeth of the geartrain, and configured to electromechanically position the deadbolt byengaging the engagement cog with the gear train of the motor by couplingthe teeth of the engagement cog with teeth of the gear train, whereinthe release cam is coupled with the engagement cog and a rotation of therelease cam causes the engagement cog to rotate to engage or disengagewith the gear train, wherein maintaining engagement of the engagementcog with the gear train includes the engagement teeth of the engagementcog disposed in pockets included between engagement teeth of the geartrain.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: a paddleconfigured to rotate mechanically to position the deadbolt bytransferring force from the rotation of the paddle to the engagement cogsuch that it retracts away from the gear train of the motor.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein the gear train of the motor is not rotatedas the engagement cog rotates as the deadbolt is positioned upon therotation of the paddle.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:a key slot configured to rotate to mechanically position the deadbolt bytransferring force from the rotation of the key slot to the engagementcog such that it retracts away from the gear train of the motor.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the gear train of the motor is not rotatedas the engagement cog rotates as the deadbolt is positioned uponrotation of the key slot.
 8. The apparatus of claim 3, whereinmechanically positioning the deadbolt corresponds to a first amount offorce applied to the engagement cog, electromechanically positioning thedeadbolt corresponds to a second amount of force applied to theengagement cog, the first amount of force being more than the secondamount of force.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first amountof force results in the engagement cog to retract away from the geartrain of the motor.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the secondamount of force results in the engagement cog to not retract away fromthe gear train of the motor.
 11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein thegear train of the motor includes a gear train hub having engagementteeth, the engagement cog having engagement teeth, wherein theengagement teeth of the engagement cog and the engagement teeth of thegear train hub are arranged to be interlocked together to engage theengagement cog with the gear train of the motor.
 12. An apparatuscomprising: a deadbolt configured to be positioned to lock or unlock adoor; and a disengagement gear assembly having an engagement cog, arelease cam and a gear train of a motor, the disengagement gear assemblyconfigured to receive a first amount of force to apply to the engagementcog to mechanically position the deadbolt, and configured to receive asecond amount of force to apply to the engagement cog toelectromechanically position the deadbolt, the first amount of forcebeing higher than the second amount of force, wherein the release cam iscoupled with the engagement cog and a rotation of the release cam causesthe engagement cog to rotate to engage or disengage with the gear train,wherein maintaining engagement of the engagement cog with the gear trainincludes engagement teeth of the engagement cog disposed in pocketsincluded between engagement teeth of the gear train.
 13. The apparatusof claim 12, wherein mechanically positioning the deadbolt includesdisengaging the engagement cog from the gear train of the motor.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein disengaging the engagement cog from thegear train includes retracting the engagement cog from the gear train.15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the engagement cog includesengagement teeth, the gear train includes engagement teeth, andretracting the engagement cog from the gear train includes adjusting theposition of the engagement cog such that the engagement teeth of theengagement cog are not interlocked with the engagement teeth of the geartrain.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the gear train includes aworm gear hub, and the engagement cog retracts away from the worm gearhub to disengage the engagement cog from the gear train.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 12, wherein electromechanically positioning thedeadbolt includes engaging the engagement cog with the gear train of themotor.
 18. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: a paddleconfigured to rotate mechanically to position the deadbolt bytransferring force from the rotation of the paddle to the engagement cogsuch that it retracts away from the gear train of the motor.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein the gear train of the motor is notrotated as the engagement cog rotates as the deadbolt is positioned uponthe rotation of the paddle.
 20. The apparatus of claim 12, furthercomprising: a key slot configured to rotate mechanically to position thedeadbolt by transferring force from the rotation of the key slot to theengagement cog such that it retracts away from the gear train of themotor.